San Jose State Commitment Impact: Tight End Cameron Woodard

Jackson Moore

03/24/2016

InsideTheSpartans.com breaks down the impact of Cameron Woodard's commitment to San Jose State.

Committed Over:New Mexico, San Diego State

On Film:Cameron Woodardlooks like a blocking tight end, but has the agility of a receiving tight end. He racked up 28 receptions for 410 yards and 4 touchdowns as a senior in high school. He even lines up as a wideout at times at 6-foot-4 and 260 pounds.

Woodard shows good hands, speed and is very tough to bring down at his size. He also appears to be a solid blocker. Valley Christian ran a wing-T offense through most of his high school career, though he had more opportunities to catch the ball as a senior. San Jose State likes to use multiple tight end packages and Woodard could be a deceptive receiving option.

If he stays at 260, he would come in as the heaviest tight end on the roster as a true freshman. San Jose State will have a real opportunity to improve his blocking and develop him into a physical specimen or continue to use him as a player who is more athletic than he looks.

Recruiting Impact: Woodard doesn’t make a big impression on the recruiting trail as a two-star recruit, but he did hold offers from San Diego State and New Mexico. That would give him an edge over fellow San Jose State signee William Humphries whose only other offer was Wyoming. Much fewer tight ends receive a three-star rating than other positions, however.

Credit tight ends coach Dan Ferrigno on getting both of these two tight ends to buy-in on San Jose State over other Mountain West schools. Both Woodard and Humphries credited their relationship with Ferrigno, as well as how he used current SJSU tight end Billy Freeman in 2015, as reasons to why they committed.

Another plus for SJSU is that Woodard hails from local Valley Christian High School in San Jose. The school has produced at least one FBS product in each of the last six years, including signees to Texas and Oregon. Four recruits signed letters of intent to FBS programs this year. The Spartans have two current Valley Christian alumni in offensive lineman Charles Nelson and running back Jarrod Lawson. Linebacker Jesse Osuna is also formerly of VCHS. Adding Woodard will ensure a relationship with the program for more years to come.

Quotable: “I liked their offense,” Woodard said. “It’s kind of close to my school’s offense in certain ways. I think the way they used Billy Freeman this year was great. I know he was nominated for the best tight end in the nation. That goes to show a lot in the way coach Ferrigno was able to get his skills better and how the offense was able to use him. I think that will help show my skills when it’s my turn to contribute to the program.”

“San Jose State has always been there since the beginning,”

Coach's Comment: "Cameron is a very physical tight end with very good hands. He has a nice balance of being an effective blocker on running plays while being able to make the nice catch on passes downfield." - SJSU Head Coach Ron Caragher

Final Thought: San Jose State adds another new weapon to its fullback/tight end core and it's a player from their own back yard too. The Spartans don't necessarily need any single tight end to put up Billy Freeman type numbers if multiple TEs pan out and give the offense different options. Woodard and Humphries both appear to give the Spartans different looks after Freeman graduates.

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